Foodborne transmission of sorbitol ‐fermenting Escherichia coli O157:[H7] via ground beef: an outbreak in northern France, 2011

We describe an outbreak of sorbitol‐fermenting E. coli O157:[H7] that occurred in France in 2011. Eighteen cases of paediatric haemolytic uraemic syndrome with symptom onset between 6 June and 15 July 2011 were identified among children aged 6 months to 10 years residing in northern France. A strain of sorbitol‐fermenting E. coli O157:[H7] stx2a eae was isolated from ten cases. Epidemiological, microbiological and trace‐back investigations identified multiply‐contaminated frozen ground beef products bought in a supermarket chain as the outbreak vehicle. Strains with three distinct pulsotypes that were isolated from patients, ground beef preparations recovered from patients' freezers and from stored production samples taken at the production plant were indistinguishable upon molecular comparison. This investigation documents microbiologically confirmed foodborne transmission of sorbitol‐fermenting of E. coli O157 via beef and could additionally provide evidence of a reservoir in cattle for this pathogen.

Source: Clinical Microbiology and Infection - July 28, 2014 Category: Microbiology Authors: L. A. King, E. Loukiadis, P. Mariani ‐Kurkdjian, S. Haeghebaert, F.‐X. Weill, C. Baliere, S. Ganet, M. Gouali, V. Vaillant, N. Pihier, H. Callon, R. Novo, O. Gaillot, D. Thevenot‐Sergentet, E. Bingen, P. Chaud, H. Valk Tags: Original Article Source Type: research